In recent years there has been intense interest in the dental field in adhesives which bond to dentin. Recent examples of such adhesives include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,182,035, 4,222,780, 4,235,633, and U.S. Ser. No. 234,560, filed Feb. 13, 1981). Primer compositions for use on dentin in conjunction with existing enamel adhesives are disclosed in Danish Patent Application No. 4898-83 and in Munksgaard and Asmussen, J. Dent. Res., 63, 8, pp 1087-1089 (August, 1984). In general, the mechanism by which such adhesive and primer compositions function is poorly understood and the subject of current speculation.